Trail ride business sues Oakland County for seizing 38 horses

The owner of High Vibe Trail Rides has filed a lawsuit against Oakland County, claiming officials unlawfully seized dozens of horses, omitted key information from search warrant applications and caused significant financial harm to her business.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by attorneys with Flood Law, comes about a month after Oakland County returned 37 surviving horses taken during an August animal welfare investigation. No criminal charges were ultimately filed against owner Lucille Ptasznik.

According to the complaint, county officials omitted information from a July 16 welfare check in which an Oakland County officer documented that the horses were in good condition and had access to food, water and shelter. Attorneys also point to a July 30 veterinary examination that found 35 of 37 horses within a normal body condition range.

"The glaring thing to us was the things left out of the search warrant that was the basis for Oakland County Animal Control and other agencies to get on our client's property to seize these horses," said David Champine, a senior attorney with Flood Law.

The lawsuit also questions why Ptasznik's horses were removed while other horses on the property remained.

"If the living conditions for these animals were so bad, why wasn't every animal on this property seized? Why was it seemingly just our client's animals?" Champine said.

Attorneys allege county officials relied on information that was incomplete or improperly obtained and claim the investigation unfairly targeted Ptasznik and her business. One of the lawsuit's most serious allegations involves a horse named Knox, who was euthanized while in county custody.

"The biggest hole there is that Knox, one of our client's horses, was euthanized without our client knowing, without our client there, without the ability to do our own evaluation of it," Champine said.

According to the complaint, county records described Knox as "sound on examination" days before he was euthanized. The lawsuit alleges neither Oakland County nor Horses' Haven has adequately explained the decision nor produced a necropsy report.

The lawsuit also challenges a county demand for $63,478.60 to recover the horses, including nearly $47,000 in what attorneys describe as unexplained intake costs.

Ptasznik and High Vibe Trail Rides are also seeking damages related to lost business. Attorneys say the seizure sidelined the company during one of its busiest seasons and led to canceled events, lost contracts and reputational harm.

"They lost a lot of money from not being able to take rides out," Champine said. "They lost contracts with large organizations that were going to come out and do corporate retreats on the property."

Champine said the legal team is still evaluating the total damages sought but believes the seizure had a significant impact on both the business and its employees.

The lawsuit seeks damages and a jury trial. As of Thursday, Champine said the defendants had not yet responded to the complaint.

CBS News Detroit contacted Oakland County for a response to the lawsuit, but hasn't received one yet.